Four Tet Hats
Genre: Downtempo, House · Tempo: 122 BPM · Time signature: 4/4 · Length: 16 steps · Style: Four Tet's organic, layered hi-hat and shaker programming
Open this pattern in the interactive Patchpad (with playback)
The pattern
| Instrument | Steps (1 = start of the bar) | Velocity | Timing and chance |
|---|
| kick | 1, 7, 15 | 70-100 | step 7: early by about 4% of a step, plays 60% of the time; step 15: early by about 4% of a step, plays 55% of the time |
| hat-closed | 2, 4, 6, 10, 12, 14 | 50-60 | step 2: plays 85% of the time; step 4: plays 75% of the time; step 6: plays 80% of the time; step 10: plays 70% of the time; step 12: plays 75% of the time; step 14: plays 85% of the time |
| perc1 | 3, 8 | 45-48 | step 3: late by about 8% of a step, plays 70% of the time; step 8: late by about 8% of a step, plays 65% of the time |
| snare | 5, 13 | 95-98 | on the grid, always plays |
| hat-open | 9, 16 | 62-68 | step 9: plays 90% of the time; step 16: plays 80% of the time |
| perc2 | 11 | 40 | step 11: late by about 8% of a step, plays 55% of the time |
Digitakt II
Tracks
- T1: kick
- T2: snare
- T3: hat-closed
- T4: hat-open
- T5: perc1
- T6: perc2
Settings
- Hat-closed (T3): TRIG PARAMETERS VEL hand p-locked with small ±8 variations step to step (e.g. step 2: 55, step 4: 50, step 6: 58, step 10: 50, step 12: 55, step 14: 60) so the pattern never repeats identically bar to bar — the core of the Four Tet feel
- Perc1 (T5, steps 3/8) and perc2 (T6, step 11): TRIG PARAMETERS microTiming p-locked to +2 with PROB reduced to 70%, 65%, and 55% respectively, so the shaker/found-sound layer feels loosely played rather than sequenced
- Steps 9 and 16 (hat-open, T4): AMP page DEC set to around 90 so the open hat rings noticeably longer than the closed-hat pulse, giving the pattern its lift
- Base sound, perc1 vs perc2 (T5/T6): FLTR page FREQ set differently on each (perc1 around 50, perc2 around 80) so the two layered percussion voices read as distinct textures, not a doubled hit
Digitone II
Tracks
- T1: kick (ALGO 4 plain low carrier, soft/round)
- T2: snare (moderate-FDBK FM noise)
- T3: hat-closed (high-FDBK FM noise)
- T4: hat-open (high-FDBK FM noise, long ring)
- T5: perc1 (ALGO 8, bell-like modulator)
- T6: perc2 (ALGO 5, different bell-like modulator ratio)
Settings
- Hat-closed (T3): humanize via AMP page VOL hand p-locked with small ±8 variations step to step (e.g. step 2: 55, step 4: 50, step 6: 58, step 10: 50, step 12: 55, step 14: 60) so the pattern never repeats identically bar to bar — the core of the Four Tet feel. Base sound: SYN page 1 FDBK 85, AMP page DEC 20
- Kick (T1) base sound: SYN page 1 ALGO 4, RATIO C 0.50 for a soft, round low end (matching the soft-kick character carried across all 3 devices). AMP page ATK 0, DEC 55, REL 35
- Steps 9 and 16 (hat-open, T4): AMP page DEC p-locked to 90 with MODE ADSR and REL 70 so it rings noticeably longer than the closed-hat pulse, giving the pattern its lift. Base sound: SYN page 1 FDBK 90, FLTR page 1 TYPE toward HP (~85)
- Perc1 (T5, steps 3/8) and perc2 (T6, step 11): TRIG PARAMETERS microTiming p-locked to +2 with PROB reduced to 70%, 65%, and 55% respectively, so the shaker/found-sound layer feels loosely played rather than sequenced
- Perc1 (T5) vs perc2 (T6) base sound: two different noise-heavy FM algorithms so the layered percussion reads as two distinct textures, not a doubled hit — perc1: SYN page 1 ALGO 8, RATIO A 3.14 (inharmonic), FDBK 40, FLTR page 1 FREQ ~50; perc2: SYN page 1 ALGO 5, RATIO A 5.00, FDBK 60, FLTR page 1 FREQ ~80
Syntakt
Tracks
- T9: kick (BD ACOUSTIC)
- T10: snare (SD NATURAL)
- T11: perc1 (SY DUAL VCO)
- T12: hat-closed (CH CLASSIC)
- T1: perc2 (SY SWARM)
- hat-open: NOT ASSIGNABLE — see parameterLocks; Syntakt has only one Analog Cymbal voice (T12) and it's already used by hat-closed
Settings
- Hat-closed (T12, CH CLASSIC): AMP page VOL hand p-locked with small ±8 variations step to step (steps 2, 4, 6, 10, 12, 14) so it never repeats identically bar to bar — the core of the Four Tet feel, done via VOL since CH CLASSIC has no separate velocity-style parameter
- Perc1 (T11, SY DUAL VCO) and perc2 (T1, SY SWARM): TRIG PARAMETERS microTiming p-locked to +2 with PROB reduced to 70%, 65%, and 55% on their respective hits, so the layered percussion feels loosely played rather than sequenced
- Hat-closed and hat-open share Syntakt's single Analog Cymbal voice (T12) — this pattern genuinely can't voice both on one physical unit. Hat-closed (the pattern's foundational pulse) is assigned to T12; the hat-open hits (steps 9 and 16) have no real Syntakt track available and must either be dropped, sequenced from a second Syntakt unit, or layered in externally — a real hardware limitation, not an oversight
- Perc1/perc2 base sound: FLTR page 1 FREQ set differently on each (perc1 around 50, perc2 around 80) so the two layered percussion voices read as distinct textures, not a doubled hit
Notes
Built around a dense, humanized hi-hat/shaker layer rather than a strong backbeat — the kick and snare are present but understated, letting the fluid, semi-random-feeling percussion carry the groove. An original pattern in the spirit of Four Tet's production, not a transcription of any specific track.
Patchpad is a free reference of drum patterns and synth patches written for real hardware: Digitakt II, Digitone II, Syntakt, Novation Summit, Arturia MiniFreak, Dreadbox Typhon and ASM Hydrasynth Desktop.